MDW Fair 2012 is back and happening all weekend starting off with the Vernissage Opening Party tonight, Friday November 9 from 7pm-12am.

MDW Fair first debuted in spring 2011 as a gathering of independent art initiatives, spaces, galleries and artist groups from the Chicago area.  This year’s fair is a collaborative project between the Public Media Institute, Document, Roots & Culture, and threewalls featuring more than 75 exhibitors, publishers, and performers. MDW Fair highlights artist-run activities as well as grassroots and independent culture.

The Friday Vernissage Event invites the public to join in celebrating with food, drinks and music. From 7– 8:30pm tonight the Propellor Fund Award Ceremony is honoring the 15 winners of the 2012 Propeller Funds award. Propeller Fund is a grant for self-organized, public, and collaborative projects and is administered by threewalls and Gallery 400 at UIC. Also from 7pm until midnight tonight on the second floor of Mana Contemporary Chicago will be opening night festivities, including performance programs and libations.

For a detailed list of performances, events, and a complete list of participants throughout the weekend please check out MDW Fair 2012’s website.

When:

Saturday, November 10: 12-6pm

Sunday, November 11: 12-6pm

Where:

Mana Contemporary

2233 South Throop Street, Chicago

 

Last night much of the art world gathered at Navy Pier for the opening of EXPO Chicago, otherwise once again known as Vernissage (according to Wikipedia: A vernissage (varnishing, from French) is a term used for a preview of an art exhibition, often private, before the formal opening. Guests may be served canapes and wine as they discuss with artists and others the works in the exhibition.) Benefitting the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and made possible with support from the MCA Trustees and the Women's Board, Vernissage was a jaw-dropping chance for visitors and scenesters to get a first look at the fair, while enjoying an entertaining evening of food, drinks, entertainment and people-watching. The fair's much-talked about trio of mylar vortexes were hung from the ceiling of Festival Hall, serving as points of reference for where to find food and drinks all evening, while adding a soaring amount of shine and silver. 

I first attended Vernissage in 2003 during Art Chicago's final years on the Pier before moving to the park and then the Merchandise Mart, so what I remember was not really most art fans in Chicago recall so fondly.  However, my husband used to attend Vernissage 15 and 2 years ago, and last night he simply said that it all finally felt like the old days again.  The art was strong, the booths were big enough to let the art breathe, and the Pier showed it all off very well. 

The CGN office snapped a few photos of art and people from last night. Have a look, and then come see it all for yourself today and this weekend.  Remember you can pick up a complimentary issue of Chicago Gallery News at the fair, as well as sign up for a subscription discount.  We'll be on site at the info booth at the top of the escalator.  And of course don't forget that 4 free shuttles will be running from EXPO to the MCA to River North and the West Loop gallery districts through Saturday, 2-8pm each day.  More info may be found HERE

 

 

Navy Pier, Chicago, IL; View from above

With three weeks until Exposition Chicago debuts at Navy Pier, planned programming and special events continue to build anticipation for the opening of the fair.   

Vernissage kicks it all off on Wednesday, September 19 from 4-9pm.  Organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and made possible with support from the MCA Trustees and the Women’s Board, Vernissage is the opening night benefit event that offers a first look at the fair during an evening of food, drinks and entertainment.  For more details and to purchase tickets online, click here.

Expo Chicago will showcase 100 of the top contemporary and modern art galleries from around the world and will be open to the public from Thursday, September 20 – Sunday, September 23.  In addition to the impressive exhibitor list, there are several programming highlights and special events to look forward to, including:

COMPLIMENTARY SHUTTLES, organized by Chicago Gallery News and EXPO Chicago, will run during the fair (Thursday – Saturday) providing transportation between Navy Pier, the MCA, River North and the West Loop.  Shuttles will be provided complimentary as a way for fair visitors to more easily explore Chicago’s art destinations and galleries.  Stay tuned to CGN for more details on shuttle information, receptions, galleries with extended hours and more! 

EXPOSURE exhibitors include an additional twenty young galleries that have been in business up to five years.  Visitors, curators and collectors will have the chance to see fresh, emerging work from Exposure exhibitors.

IN/SITU exhibition spaces will be arranged throughout the fair, providing exhibiting galleries the opportunity to showcase large-scale installations, site-specific and performative works by leading international artists.  Organized by writer and independent curator Michael Ned Holte, IN/SITU will feature work by Robert Barry, Fiona Connor, Theaster Gates, Tony Feher, Roy McMakin, Sarah Rara, Steve Roden and Jan Tichy. Additional pieces by Jaume Plensa, Dzine and Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle will also be on view.

Other special exhibitions and programming will be on view around the show floor from art organizations including the International Sculpture Center, Marwen, Chicago Sculpture Center, The Renaissance Society, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Bad at Sports, the Aperture Foundation, among others. 

DIALOGUES is a series of panel discussions and conversations with leading artists, curators, designers and arts professionals, presented in partnership with The School of the Art Institue of Chicago (SAIC).  Highlights include a talk by art critic Jerry Saltz on Thursday, September 20;  a conversation between artist Sterling Ruby and art advisor Todd Levin on Friday, September 21; a panel discussion between curators Michael Darling (MCA), Lisa Dorin (Art Institute of Chicago) and Dominic Molon (Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis); a conversation between artist Byron Kim and critic / SAIC professor James Elkins.  See the full schedule and more details here. 

EXPO Chicago is produced by Art Expositions, LLC, under the leadership of President and Director Tony Karman.  Studio Gang Architects, led by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, is designing the interior environment for the fair.  For additional details and ticket/visitor info, click here.

This week Expo Chicago director Tony Karman held a press event at Public Chicago to announce the list of 100 galleries participating in the inaugural fair this September. The release of the final list 5 months in advance is the first time in many, many years such a list has been completed and available so early.  There are several well-known Chicago galleries participating in the fair.  Dozens of local galleries will also hold special hours and events during the weekend of the fair, and the entire arts and culture community will be participating in Expo Chicago in many unique ways, welcoming Chicagoans and visitors alike to experience the best of creativity in Chicago's neighborhoods.

You may view the full exhibitor list and up-to-date news about Expo Chicago HERE 

 

1301PE  Los Angeles

Alexander and Bonin  New York

Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe  New York

Gallery Paule Anglim  San Francisco

John Berggruen Gallery  San Francisco

Galleri Bo Bjerggaard  Copenhagen

Daniel Blau  Munich

Russell Bowman Art Advisory  Chicago

Galerie Buchholz  Cologne

Valerie Carberry Gallery  Chicago

Cardi Black Box  Milan

Cernuda Arte  Coral Gables

Chambers Fine Art  New York, Beijing

Cherry and Martin  Los Angeles

James Cohan Gallery  New York, Shanghai

Corbett vs. Dempsey  Chicago

CRG Gallery  New York

D'Amelio Gallery  New York

Stephen Daiter Gallery  Chicago

Maxwell Davidson Gallery  New York

Douglas Dawson Gallery  Chicago

Catherine Edelman Gallery  Chicago

Galería Max Estrella Madrid

Fleisher/Ollman  Philadelphia

Galerie Forsblom  Helsinki

Forum Gallery  New York

Marc Foxx  Los Angeles

Fredericks & Freiser  New York

Barry Friedman, Ltd.  New York

Friedman Benda  New York

The Suzanne Geiss Company  New York

Gering & López Gallery  New York

Galerie Gmurzynska  Zurich, St. Moritz

James Goodman Gallery  New York

Richard Gray Gallery  Chicago, New York

Galerie Karsten Greve AG  Cologne, Paris, St. Moritz

Kavi Gupta  Chicago, Berlin

Carl Hammer Gallery  Chicago

Haunch of Venison  New York, London

Hill Gallery  Birmingham

Nancy Hoffman Gallery  New York

Rhona Hoffman Gallery  Chicago

Honor Fraser  Los Angeles

Vivian Horan Fine Art  New York

Leonard Hutton Galleries  New York

Bernard Jacobson Gallery  London, New York

Annely Juda Fine Art  London

Paul Kasmin Gallery  New York

James Kelly Contemporary  Santa Fe

Sean Kelly Gallery  New York

Robert Koch Gallery  San Francisco

Michael Kohn Gallery Los Angeles

Leo Koenig, Inc.  New York

Alan Koppel Gallery Chicago

Yvon Lambert  Paris

Landau Fine Art  Montreal

Christian Larsen Stockholm

Galerie Lelong  New York, Paris, Zurich

Locks Gallery  Philadelphia

LOOCK Galerie  Berlin

Diana Lowenstein Gallery Miami

Luhring Augustine  New York

Robert Mann Gallery  New York

Lawrence Markey San Antonio

Matthew Marks Gallery  New York, Los Angeles

Barbara Mathes Gallery  New York

Galerie Gabrielle Maubrie  Paris

Galerie Hans Mayer Düsseldorf

The Mayor Gallery London

McCormick Gallery Chicago

Anthony Meier Fine Arts San Francisco

Nicholas Metivier Gallery Toronto

Mitchell-Innes & Nash New York

Galería Moisés Pérez de Albéniz Pamplona

Carolina Nitsch New York

David Nolan Gallery New York

Nyehaus  New York

P.P.O.W.  New York

Franklin Parrasch Gallery  New York

Ricco / Maresca Gallery New York

Yancey Richardson Gallery  New York

Roberts & Tilton  Los Angeles

Rosenthal Fine Art  Chicago

Salon 94  New York

Marc Selwyn Fine Art  Los Angeles

William Shearburn Gallery  St. Louis

Manny Silverman Gallery  Los Angeles

Carl Solway Gallery  Cincinnati

Hollis Taggart Galleries  New York

Tandem Press  Madison

Galerie Daniel Templon  Paris

Paul Thiebaud Gallery  San Francisco

Tilton Gallery New York

Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects  New York

Van de Weghe  New York

Vincent Vallarino Fine Art New York

Washburn Gallery  New York

Daniel Weinberg Gallery  Los Angeles

Weinstein Gallery  Minneapolis

Max Wigram  London

Stephen Wirtz Gallery  San Francisco

Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery  New York

David Zwirner  New York, London

- CGN

 

There was a sexy preview event last night in Navy Pier's famed Festival Hall, which seemed to have the air of history about it more than usual, with many fond references made to the glory days when some of the world's grandest art fairs took place in the soaring space.  The setting last night was very loungey - lots of red, black and white, amidst club music and low lighting - conveying a feeling of hip coolness.  For an evening all about art, there actually wasn't any around, but that's because the buzz was about anticipation - all that's promised to come next fall, September 20-23 for Chicago's newest international art fair. 

Tony Karman and his team unveiled a heavy-hitting list of announcements, and the audience cheered in all the right spots.  Here's the list. 

• Vernissage is back.  The very cool, arty party to benefit the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) was always in demand back in the day, and now the party days promise to be back.  Stay tuned. And start figuring out a way to get an invitation...

• 'Starchitect' Jeanne Gang (of the famous Aqua Tower here in Chicago) has been enlisted to design the fair environment... This is no ordinary fair, folks. It's an experience.

• Along with the good looks, the food promises to be great as well, since MK chef Michael Kornick will be overseeing the menu for food offerings at the fair.

• Some art world big wigs have already signed-on to get the ball rolling. To name a few: David Zwirner, Richard Gray, Galerie Karsten Greve, the Mayor Gallery, and Rhona Hoffman (one of 3 super powers on the selection committee charged with picking a limited number (100) of participants)

Last night showed that the team behind the fair is serious about making it work right out of the gate - they're going after the biggest names in the contemporary art world so that the biggest collectors will want to come to Chicago to see the show, as well as the city itself. We have everything here to be a worldclass city, but sometimes people need reminders.  Goodness knows this is a big endeavor, and it has the potential to give Chicago a shot in both arms. As far as I see it, the Olympics?  Who cares that that never happened here. A major art fair that can get the cultureati to land here, not just flyover, is certainly welcome and worthy of close watching.  A successful run will have a lasting impact throughout our city, not just in galleries and museums. Ever heard the addage that a rising tide lifts all boats? I certainly hope that's the case here, for our collectors, galleries, art fairs, artists, and certainly our civic pride.

There's a lot more info, including a new blog, on expo's site.  And there should be more loungey events this winter and spring as the news keeps coming, which is smart, since besides juicy news bits, everyone loves a free cocktail...